Wardian case

[ wawr-dee-uhn ]

noun

1. a type of terrarium having a top and sides of glass.
2. a case used for transporting plants, having wood sides and a glass top protected by wood slats.

wardian case

/ ˈwɔːdɪən /

noun

1. a type of glass container used for housing delicate ferns and similar plants

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wardian case¹

1835–45; named after Nathaniel B. Ward (1791–1868), English botanist; -ian

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wardian case¹

C19: named after N. B. Ward (died 1868), English botanist

Example Sentences

It is thought it was transported to Scotland in a Wardian case, which was a small portable green house which protected it from the salty spray on the boat and kept it in the humidity it needed.

From BBC

Thanks to the Wardian case, the process of transporting plants now had wind in its sails.

From BBC

But perhaps the most significant impact of the Wardian case wasn't bringing plants to Europe from more far-flung places - it was enabling more people from Europe to go to far-flung places.

From BBC

She is intrigued that the physician Nathaniel Ward, who invented the Wardian case — essentially a terrarium for transporting and keeping plants — was driven by the idea that the act of cultivating plants was in itself healing.

From Washington Post

First is the Wardian case, invented around 1830 by Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, a medical doctor and amateur.

From New York Times